The four-day European Judo Championships Seniors in ZAGREB came to an end on Sunday evening – with the host team taking fifth place in the mixed team competition. Croatia finished sixth in the medal table: with one gold (Barbara MATIC/-70) and one bronze medal (Lara CVJETKO/-70), plus three fifth places (Zlatko KUMRIC/-100, Katarina KRISTO/-63, mixed team) and a seventh place (Ana Viktorija PULJIZ/-52).
“We are very satisfied and also relieved that everything went smoothly. We are absolutely happy in terms of organisation and sport. We kept our word and delivered an impressive European Championships. Barbara Matic’s victory was certainly the absolute highlight. You can’t really plan a gold medal. But Barbara delivered in front of her own audience. That was an absolute goosebump moment. Especially when Lara Cvjetko was also on the podium. Ultimately, we are also very happy with Katarina, Ana Viktorija and Zlatko, they put up a brave fight,” said Sanda CORAK, President of the Croatian Judo Association, summarising the results with obvious pride.
“The Kids Camp was an absolute highlight – with 1,100 participants from 35 nations. Many thanks to Nuno Delgado, he was running the show in a perfect way. The kids loved him. The youngsters created a great atmosphere during the final blocks. We can already say that there will also be a Kids Camp in Montenegro in 2024.”
The President doesn’t have much time to celebrate: “On Monday morning, we’ll set out the strategy for the next few years with the National Olympic Committee. I can’t miss that.” The keyword Paris elicits a final sentence from Sanda Corak: “We must finally win our first Olympic judo medal in the summer. Then even more funding would flow. That’s extremely important for us!”
Author: EJU Media